From: Darrell128
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 18:31:32 EST
Mime-Version: 1.0
Subject: NR 98011: What's Left of Classis California South?
NR #1998-011: What's Left of Classis California South?
What should a classis do when over a two month period it loses its stated
clerk, synodical deputy, classical interim committee chair and secretary, and
can't even conduct its regular January business meeting? That was the question
faced by Classis California South in January as it struggled with what to do
about the secession of over a third of its membership and many of its
officers. "Right now as it stands all the committees of classis have ceased to
function except one, that is the Classical Home Missions Committee," said Rev.
Randy Young of Friendship Community Church in Fontana, California, noting that
of the twenty organized congregations that were in Classis California South
until the recent secession, only four dozen people from about ten churches
attended a special prayer meeting held on January 15 in place of the regular
classis.
NR 1998-011: For Immediate Release:
What's Left of Classis California South?
by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer
United Reformed News Service
(February 10, 1997) URNS - What should a classis do when over a two month
period it loses its stated clerk, synodical deputy, classical interim
committee chair and secretary, and can't even conduct its regular January
business meeting?
That was the question faced by Classis California South in January as it
struggled with what to do about the secession of over a third of its
membership and many of its officers.
Interim stated clerk Rev. Bruce Ballast from Calvary CRC of Chino didn't
return repeated phone calls to his office for information on developments in
his classis, but he may well have other problems on his mind.
"Right now as it stands all the committees of classis have ceased to function
except one, that is the Classical Home Missions Committee," said Rev. Randy
Young of Friendship Community Church in Fontana, California, noting that of
the twenty organized congregations that were in Classis California South until
the recent secession, only four dozen people from about ten churches attended
a special prayer meeting held on January 15 in place of the regular classis.
The classis currently has sixteen organized congregations, and only four -
Calvary CRC of Chino, San Marcos CRC, San Diego CRC, and Redlands CRC - are
traditional Christian Reformed congregations. Most of the remaining churches
in classis are Korean or Hispanic churches, and often are struggling with
financial or language issues.
That raised the issue at the special meeting of whether to continue as a
separate classis or merge with Classis Greater Los Angeles, which also lost
many of its members to conservative secessions in 1993. "The time was mostly
spent in worship and prayer and at the end it was decided to poll the elders
and pastors who were there, whether to merge with Classis Greater Los Angeles
or to remain," said Young. "Most everybody wanted to remain as a classis. The
only ones who thought it might be better to merge with Classis Greater Los
Angeles were some of the Korean brothers who, if we were to merge with Classis
Greater Los Angeles, would go to Classis Pacific Hanmi."
"It was a good time of fellowship and prayer but no real business items were
really accomplished," said Young.
Young said that so far he hadn't seen clear signs of a liberalizing in
Classis California South's official positions, and noted that he had been
elected as a member of the new classical interim committee despite his close
fellowship with those who recently seceded from the denomination. Young also
made clear that his church would react strongly against any liberal
developments. "We've made a conviction that if our classis were to allow women
delegates, either women deacons or elders, as a delegate I would just leave
the meeting. If I see that there is a female delegate, we'll just leave the
premises," said Young. "We are also going to increase our letter writing and
our outspokenness about some of these abuses in the Christian Reformed Church
until they kick us out."
Cross-References to Related Articles:
#1998-010: Classis California South Loses Third of Membership
Contact List:
Rev. Bruce Ballast, Interim Stated Clerk, Classis California South
2837 Harbour Town Trail, Ontario, CA 91761-7341
O: (909) 627-1918 * H: (909) 947-8852
Rev. Randal Young, Pastor, Friendship Community Christian Reformed Church
6101 Cherry Ave., Fontana, CA 92336
O/FAX: (909) 899-7660 * H: (909) 899-4249
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